Social Determinants of Health Impact Physical Recovery After Blunt Injury

• Published in: The American surgeon Vol. 89; no. 7; p. 3295
• Main Authors: Cockrell, Benjamin E, Haiflich, Andrew N, Lee, Yann-Leei L, Kinnard, Christopher M, Butts, Charles C, Polite, Nathan M, Mbaka, Maryann I, Bright, Andrew C, Simmons, Jon D, Williams, Ashley Y
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.07.2023
• Subjects: Educational Status; Health Services Accessibility; Humans; Physical Examination; Social Determinants of Health; United States; Wounds, Nonpenetrating; United States; social determinants of health; physical recovery; blunt; blunt injury
• ISSN: 1555-9823
• DOI: 10.1177/00031348231161672

As defined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) are conditions in the environment that affect health function and outcomes. The SDOH are divided into the following categories: economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community content. It is known that SDOH impact long-term health outcomes. The influence that SDOH have on physical recovery after acute injury is less understood, however. In this study, patients who suffered a traumatic blunt injury completed a survey 12-14 months post-injury to assess their SDOH and physical health before and after their injury. The results showed that for the cohort of patients studied SDOH was the greatest predictor of long-term recovery, having a stronger correlation with recovery than injury severity score (ISS) or hospital length of stay (HLOS).